Bongo memories,lockdown blues, future plans

This time of year is often for me a time of reflection. I suppose that as you see the year slipping away, drawing toward the end of the calendar, it’s natural to kind of take stock, and make future plans and promises to yourself. It’s certainly been an exceptional year!

It’s unreasonable to compare what you have achieved in 2020 to previous years, for the obvious reasons. But, I suppose I have to confess I haven’t achieved all I could even under the circumstances we have endured. The weather, right from the beginning of the first Lockdown, was superb. It must have been one of the driest Aprils for a long time, and May was glorious. But I really struggled with motivation. I found myself, like many I guess, looking at all the things I was being deprived of – my rugby refereeing, getting out in the Bongo, the long-planned multi-day trek with my eldest son at Easter time, as well as gyms closing, and shopping becoming just a chore, with queues and masks. It felt to me like we were serving some kind of sentence, a pennance, that would eventually end, normality would resume, and we could get back to living. Wrong!!

I developed a bit of enthusiasm, helped greatly by the “Indoor / Outdoor Easter Camp” facebook group – a brilliantly positive bunch who decided to just camp where they could. People were making the best of a terrible Easter holiday by camping in their gardens, sleeping in their campervans and caravans in their driveways, even camping indoors if they didn’t have gardens, or tents, but the sense of sharing was very real, and everyone was so positive, I confess I needed the help, and so I camped on numerous occasions in my Bongo, in the driveway, mostly on my own, but a couple of times with either one of my sons for company. I’m very grateful to this group, for helping preserve my sanity over the worst few months.

And so, my enthusiasm slowly grew into action. I started using the spin bike a bit more. I did some HIIT sessions when it wasn’t too hot, and my desire for something to get up to became focused on some tinkering with the Bongo. The wheels came off, and everything got cleaned and rust treated, plus a couple of generous coats of underseal. The front end got stripped down, and repainted, wiring tidied up, and some rather natty new “angel eye” foglights got fitted while the bumper was off. I even fabricated front wheel arch rubber “flaps” to prevent spray and mud flying into the rear of the new lights ( I’m quite proud of that wee invention!) so keeping everything clean and dry. The exhaust back section got repainted, the tail lights got an overhaul, and a dozen little jobs in the interior. My enthusiasm grew further – it was time for a full deep-clean interior valet, and I spent about 3 days cleaning blinds, carpets, headlining etc. I refitted interior trim that was creaking or rattling (a real pet hate of mine!) and the van was looking awesome inside!!

So many little jobs were getting done, and it’s really only on reflection now that I realise what I got done. The issue of extra storage for the bedding addressed by fabricating a storage area inside the seat, in the dead space inside the seat back, accessed by hinging the back part of the seat ( this particular problem had been in the “design stages” since first buying the van!), and then finally the construction of my new kitchen pod. There were lighting modifications in the interior as covered in my previous post.

We finally got away, although by now it was July, but as the restrictions eased and travel was allowed, we booked up a few nights away at Moffat, a favourite campsite, and close to some friends of ours who live in Ecclefechan, allowing a visit and catch up with them. The campsite staff were working hard to keep everyone safe, with extra cleaning of facilities, and social distance signs everywhere. It was just great to get out, to visit one of our favourite spots, and to forget the Covid nightmare for a few days.

And there was the small matter of an MOT to be done. I had previously used DialaMek in East Kilbride, and I contacted them to arrange some suspension refurb work (new front struts and bushes, wheel alignment) along with a service and MOT. This was carried out in early August – and the Bongo passed with flying colours, no advisories at all!! Some small bits of tinkering under the seats in the engine room too, and the annoying oil leak from the rocker cover bolts addressed. The Bongo really was in great shape, inside and out, as well as mechanically, we were in the best shape this van has been in for many years!

Worthy of mention are the Bongos, brews and Blethers fraternity!! We did manage to get two meets this year, one back in pre-lockdown winter, and one in September just prior to further and tighter restrictions imposed. Fellow Bongo owners, it’s great to meet and gab with you all, and to see so many different van layouts, and such clever and innovative ideas, there really are nicer people met through owning a Bongo, folks!!

And then, work got in the way. For large parts of August, September and October I was working in far-flung corners of Scotland, and I was too busy trying to make sure the equipment we work on was doing as it should to get any time at all with the Bongo. There was more bad news on the rugby front – the season was completely scrapped, so no games for a referee. I was getting depressed again, and the weather was turning wetter, the days shorter. It felt like the summer had passed us by, and I had only managed two nights away! Covid really sucked!!

I was determined to get a proper trip organised. Something we would remember.

And so, with a trip to Stornoway for inspiration, I hatched an ambitious plan to visit the Outer Hebrides during the October break with Lorraine. This was a special year for us, being our 25th Anniversary, and while it had been a traumatic year so far, I was determined to make some happy memories for us. As detailed in the posts of our trip, careful planning of ferries and campsites allowed us to have an absolutely fantastic trip, visiting Skye, North and South Uist, Lewis and Harris, by way of five ferries in six days. We covered over 850 drama-free miles in our 25 year old Bongo, sleeping in a different spot every night and seeing some incredible scenery.

And as a final Anniversary surprise, I arranged to stay at Solway View Campsite, near Kirkudbright in South West Scotland (another favourite). I managed to sneak our two boys into the celebrations, as well as our dear friends Kath and Heather who came all the way from Ecclefechan to help us celebrate. Other than the terrible storm on the Friday night, which sadly trashed our friends’ awning, it actually turned out a great weekend, and the site owners were extra kind enough to give us a lovely bottle of wine.

So, despite feeling utterly depressed about not being able to just “get up and go” as the old adage goes, when I look back and reflect on 2020, it has actually had some real high lights and high points, and despite the odds, we have managed probably better than a dozen nights away together. We’ve had our breath truly taken away by some of the most stunning scenery Scotland has to offer – endless white beaches, rugged coastlines, quiet lochs and majestic mountains – and we are more in love with Bongo Life now than ever. Over the course of 2020 we’ve continued to improve the van, made some lasting friends and memories, and been down many a “road less travelled” in Ali Bongo.

With the vaccine being rolled out, a sense of hope and an end to the restrictions is perhaps not far off. Although what we took as normal might not return for a long time to come, we can still look forward to getting out and about again. I still have places to visit, and this amazing country just inspires.

I want to thank everyone who has come on this journey with me so far. Anyone who has taken the time to read a blog post or two, I hope you have been inspired to visit some of the places in Scotland I have written about, and I hope I have at least given you something to ponder around how you use your own campervan. Perhaps even given you some ideas of modifications to carry out yourselves? If I’ve helped keep your spirits up slightly, then that’s a bonus. Thanks for coming with me so far, and I hope I can have your company in 2021! Cheers!!